Legends of Lightstorm Saga 1 Episode 3: The Omniscience Factory
by Mutrox
Summary: Jadeite orchestrates a plan to utilize the processing power of human brains to aid the Negaverse in regaining its power. At the same time, Serena and Jason investigate a strange new student at Serena's school that Luna suspects of being a Negaverse sleeper agent.
1. Reflections

"I find myself moderately pleased with your performance, Jadeite," Queen Beryl said, her voice echoing throughout the chamber. "Although I was hoping to collect a little more energy so that we might upgrade our offensive measures."

Jadeite knelt on the stone floor. "My apologies, Supreme One. But I dared not make the operation any larger, or else run the risk of attracting even more attention than I did."

Beryl studied the energy containment unit in her hand. Because most of Jadeite's recent missions had ended in failure, the small amount of energy swirling inside the crystal had put her in an uncharacteristically tranquil mood. "Indeed." She placed the crystal in a receptacle on her throne. "Rest now, Jadeite, and prepare for your next mission."

Jadeite decided it was safe to stand. "Majesty," he asked carefully. "Have we made any progress in alternative energy-harvesting techniques? It would greatly aid our efforts if we could collect energy from across the planet Earth."

Beryl studied Jadeite. "No. Even now, we are still unable to recreate the unique conditions that allow us to siphon energy from the city's inhabitants." She sat down on her throne, deep in thought. "The event that altered the underlying structure of reality at that point in space is as incomprehensible now as it was when we discovered the anomaly."

"I understand, Your Grace," Jadeite said, throwing in a bow for good measure. "I will be ready when you require my services again."

After Jadeite left the throne room, Beryl found her thoughts turning toward the Mistake. Even without his power, he still managed to pose a serious threat to her operations. Alone he might not have caused too much damage. But now that he seemed to be working with Sailor Moon and this "Tuxedo Mask"…

Unconsciously, Beryl shuddered slightly. The last time she had faced him in combat, he had beaten her to a bloody pulp with his bare hands, not bothering to waste his higher powers on her. She vividly remembered lying on a cold, hard floor, barely alive, as he calmly strode past her to accomplish his mission.

In the months that followed, Beryl had forced herself to stay alive, swearing revenge on him as she healed. She researched ways to slowly kill a Justice Champion, memorizing those that caused the most pain. But before her then-superiors declared her fit for duty, the Mistake vanished.

No one was entirely sure what had happened. Negaverse intelligence agents reported a major disturbance within the Remnant ranks, but that was all. Beryl remembered feeling a strange combination of hope that her enemy had died horrifically, and regret that she hadn't been able to do it herself. Nevertheless, he was gone, and her then-companions had told her to forget it.

But the rediscovery of the Mistake had brought about a curious collection of emotions in Beryl. Minutes after learning of his survival, all of the old hatred and bloodlust resurfaced in her. Had it not been for the need to keep composure in front of her subjects, she might have destroyed something. But at the same time, the news that he had lost his power was more rewarding than she could have imagined. A Justice Champion's power was integral to his or her being. Losing it meant losing everything, destroying a Champion in a way Beryl hadn't even considered. As satisfying as physical torture was, sometimes psychological torture was even more devastating for the subject, if not especially pleasing to watch or perform.

But somehow the Mistake was still fighting. Even with his abilities gone, it seemed that his intelligence was still valid. If he somehow retained his skill with Moon Kingdom science, there was no reason he wouldn't pass it on to Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. And with the three of them causing as much damage as they did already…

Beryl wished that her forces weren't spread so thinly across Negaverse operations. If she could have spared the manpower, it would have been a simple matter to dispatch assassins to destroy the three. But the last true assassins in her service had been destroyed centuries ago, and she hadn't found anyone even close to their level of skill since.

Massaging her forehead, Beryl summoned a servant and ordered her to bring a chalice of the strongest wine she could find. Clutching the heavy cup in one hand, Beryl took a long draught, relaxing as she felt the cold liquid slide down her throat. Then she set it down, retrieved her crystal ball, and began devising her next strategy.


	2. Endeavors

Jason navigated through the city streets, his eyes scanning every face and memorizing every location. He took a sip of the coffee he had bought from a nearby sandwich shop as he strode along the concrete sidewalk. The drink was strong, hot, and bitter, just the way he preferred it. He rounded a corner and kept going.

The encounter with Tuxedo Mask had convinced him to investigate further. Long ago, he had memorized the official designations of all Silver Millennium Justice Champions. There hadn't been very many besides the Sailor Scouts, so they had been easy to remember. But there had never been a Justice Champion designated "Tuxedo Mask", a fact which Jason did not find very agreeable.

Toward the beginning of his life, he had seen the faces of all the Justice Champions in a history book. Although their names were easy to remember, their faces had long since faded from his memory. He had considered the possibility that Tuxedo Mask was a Justice Champion operating under a different name, but he thought it unlikely. No Justice Champion would willingly surrender his or her designation.

Perhaps he was a Negaverse agent attempting to gain Sailor Moon's trust. According to Serena, he showed up during battles and disappeared immediately afterward. She seemed illogically enraptured with him. She considered it romantic, but Jason considered it a potential tactical weakness.

On the other hand, Tuxedo Mask seemed to genuinely care about Sailor Moon's well-being. His desire to ensure her safety appeared to be his only priority, with fighting the Negaverse being only a means to protect her. Was it a deception? If not, what did that indicate about his loyalties and goals?

Jason concluded that further information was needed. He wished he could have followed Tuxedo Mask the night they escorted Serena home, but he was exhausted from the fight and his body needed to heal. Starting the next day, he began methodically combing the city in search of Tuxedo Mask in his Ground State. Most people would have found this impossible due to Tuxedo Mask's Deceptor, but Jason was not most people. Even after all this time, his mind was still strong enough to see through all but the strongest of Deceptors.

Yet after over a week of searching, Jason still hadn't located him. With every passing day, Jason found it easier to believe that Tuxedo Mask was working for the Negaverse, and that he had simply returned home after his mission was complete. However, there was no way to be sure unless he found the man. Taking a last sip of coffee, he threw away the empty cup and kept walking.

"Owwwww!"

"It wouldn't hurt as much if you would just pull it off all at once!" Luna told Serena, exasperated.

"It hurts too much!" Serena carefully pried away the last of the dressing from the wound.

Despite all of her complaining, Serena couldn't deny that Jason had done a surprisingly good job dressing her battle wound. The dressing had proven to be waterproof, flexible, and unexpectedly painless. More than once, Serena had even forgotten it was there, resulting in several close calls when her family almost noticed it before she caught herself. But at last Luna had told her it was safe to take it off.

Underneath the dressing was a series of long slashes of scar tissue down Serena's ribcage. Serena quickly pulled her shirt down. "Now I'm ugly…" Her eyes welled up. "How will I get a date with Tuxedo Mask looking like this!?" She started crying.

"Oh, get a hold of yourself, Serena," Luna scolded. "In a few weeks there won't be any trace of that dreadful scar. Now get dressed or you'll be late for school yet again."

"Don't worry, I've got plenty of time." Wiping her eyes, Serena opened the door to the bathroom and headed for her room. Flopping down on the bed, she grabbed a box of crackers from the nightstand and shoved one into her mouth.

"No, you haven't!" Luna informed her. "Whenever I manage to drag you out of bed this early, you say you'll be on time, but something always comes up and you end up tardy anyway, just like usual." To prove her point, she turned on Serena's phone and looked at the clock. "There, you see? You've got barely enough time to get dressed and out the door!"

"Fine." Serena put away the crackers and dragged herself off the bed.

Luna noticed something on the phone's screen. "It looks like you've gotten a text."

"What does it say?" Serena asked, selecting an outfit.

"It's from Molly," Luna read. "She's reminding you to behave yourself because…" Luna scrolled down. "A new girl is arriving at your school today?"

"Ooh, I forgot!" Serena exclaimed happily.

"What's this about a new girl?"

"She's transferring from some special school. They say she's a genius!"

"Really?" Something didn't sound quite right to Luna. "Then why is she coming to your school?"

"Not sure. I'll ask her when I see her today."

"Please do." For some reason, the whole thing sounded suspicious to Luna. She made a mental note to investigate, and then turned and left the room to give Serena some privacy.


	3. An Unsettling Encounter

"Have you seen her yet?" Serena asked Molly. The two of them walked down the hallway of their school.

"Not yet. She's gotta be around here, but I haven't run into her yet." Molly glanced around the crowded hallway. "I bet she doesn't like it here. People around here aren't like the people where she comes from."

"What's the name of that special school she transferred from?"

"Brighton Academy."

"Yeah, that's it. Are they really a bunch of super-geniuses there?"

"I've heard that place is crammed full of brains and bookworms."

"I wonder why she transferred here."

They rounded a corner. "Look, there she is!" Molly whispered urgently, pointing.

Further down the hallway stood a girl. She was a bit shorter than Serena, with steel-blue hair cut into a short, practical haircut. In her hands was a high-quality tablet, the finest Serena had ever seen. She stood gazing out of window, a calm yet absent expression on her face. One could only guess what brilliant and profound thoughts lay behind her eyes.

"Do you… think we should go say hi to her?" Serena wondered. The new girl turned toward the sound of Serena's voice. Molly and Serena ducked back around the corner. "You know what, I'll say hi to her later," Serena decided. Something didn't seem right about her.

"I think her name's Amy, just so you know." Molly seemed slightly unnerved too.

Outside the window, unseen by all, Luna crawled along a branch of a tree growing next to the building. She crouched low, careful to remain concealed among the leaves. Through the window she could see the new girl looking down the hall at something.

Luna's eyes narrowed. Even from that distance, she could detect an unusual energy pattern resonating from the girl. After the girl turned and walked away down the hall, Luna climbed down from the tree and ran off into the city.

"Are you looking for excuses to come here?"

Luna walked out of the shadows. "If you would do the job I brought you back for, I wouldn't have to keep coming here."

Jason set down the weapon he was working on. "I take it you don't remember our agreement."

"I remember just fine. I don't care if you don't fight for us, but this concerns everyone. I need you to look into it." Jason didn't respond. "Please," Luna added.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I can tail her easily enough, but there are some things I can't do. I was hoping you might check out her house."

"You actually want me to break into someone's home?"

"Believe me, I don't like it either. But we can't ignore the energy fluctuations I felt coming from the girl. If she really is from the Negaverse, we need to know as soon as possible. There may be some clue about her true nature in her house."

Jason considered it. "I'll see what I can do." He returned his attention to the workbench.

Luna hesitated, knowing that what she was about to ask would be risky. "There's one more thing… I was hoping you'd take Serena with you."

Jason stopped working. "Humor has never been one of your talents, Luna."

"I'm not joking." Luna jumped up on the workbench and looked Jason in the eye. "You haven't spent any time with that poor girl since I brought you back. She needs someone she can look up to while fighting the Negaverse."

"She has you."

"It's not the same." Luna leaned closer. "She doesn't show it, but Serena is utterly terrified of the enemy. I can't charge into battle with her, but you can. She needs to know that she's not alone in this fight. By spending time with you, by knowing that there's someone out there who's stared into the heart of the Negaverse and laughed in its face, by standing beside the mightiest warrior the Moon Kingdom has ever seen, Serena will know that there is hope, and that she can save the world because it has already been done. That is why she needs you."

Jason looked into Luna's eyes. "I wonder how she would feel if she knew the truth."

Luna lowered her eyes. "I realize I can't make you, but please. Please don't tell her. If she knew, it could destroy her."

"That's the only reason I haven't told her already."

"So you'll take her with you?"

"… Yes."

"Thank you, Jason. This means a lot to me." Luna jumped off the table, bid him goodbye, and left. As soon as Luna had gone, Jason put down his work and sat down on the bed, his thoughts drifting to memories he tried so hard to repress.

Although he had refrained from telling Luna, Jason knew that he had been purposefully avoiding Serena. Everything about her brought him pain. Her voice, her haircut, her appearance, even her name… it all added up to an agonizing resemblance of… her.

When he first saw her, he had almost been unable to handle it. The resemblance was too great to be a coincidence. Learning that she was the newly-reborn Sailor Moon had done nothing to ease his mind. But when he learned that she needed his help, and she was all that stood between the Negaverse and total dominion over Earth, he decided to do something about it. He created a barrier in his mind that prevented him from associating her with the past, thus allowing him to retain control around her. The self-taught technique was effective, but it wasn't perfect. He didn't allow himself to think about the past, but maintaining the barrier wasn't easy around Serena. When he had to be around her, he avoided looking directly at her if at all possible. He avoided speaking her name in conversations, and more than once he had considered asking her not to talk so much, as her voice unpleasantly rattled against his eardrums and threatened to jar loose a memory of an especially unpleasant day many years ago. But Luna was right. Serena did need him, and he would just have to hold back the memories no matter how much they threatened to break through.

Jason looked through the windows at the city. He still had work to do, but it could wait. He stood and began putting on his armor. Perhaps beating up and robbing some criminals would help take his mind off matters.


	4. Unauthorized Access

The next day, Serena trudged wearily home from school, a crumpled piece of paper in her hand. She had never been good at taking tests, but this was a new low even for her. She glanced at the paper, hoping something had changed. Seeing that it hadn't, she groaned aloud and crumpled it up again, thrusting it into her pocket.

As she racked her brain trying to come up with a new excuse to give to her parents, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

It was Amy, walking down an adjacent path away from her. Serena watched her, thinking. The night before, Luna had told Serena her fears about Amy. Although Serena had dismissed her fears at first, Luna had managed to convince her by saying that Jason shared her concerns. She instructed Serena to interact with Amy and see if she could find out anything.

"Hey, wait up!" Serena called, running after Amy. Amy stopped and turned. "Hey," Serena said, out of breath. "You're Amy, right?"

"That's right."

"My name's Serena. We go to school together."

Amy shook Serena's hand. "It's very nice to meet you." She said politely.

"Same here." Serena started walking. Amy matched her pace. "So what brings you to our school?"

For the next hour, Serena talked with Ami, learning all that she could. She found out that Ami was a genius in every sense of the word. Even among her fellow students at Brighton Academy she had been one of the best, being fluent in every programming language and receiving high marks in every class. She didn't have many pastimes, but she enjoyed reading, to the extent of going to libraries on weekends to read. Having recently arrived at the school, she didn't have any friends or knowledge of the neighborhood.

Upon hearing this, Serena took it upon herself to show her a good time. She took her around to all the shops and introduced to everyone she could find that she knew. Amy seemed a bit unsure at first, but after awhile she seemed to relax and have fun. Serena knew she could be from the Negaverse, but couldn't help enjoying Amy's company.

At last Amy said she had to go. "I'm late for my computer class."

"Huh?" Serena put down the game she had been admiring. "But school's over."

"Not for me. I go to a special school in the evening during the week. They teach the most advanced computer techniques known to exist."

"But aren't you already super good with computers?"

"Not as good as I'd like to be. I'm still an amateur when it comes to block transfer computations." She headed for the door of the game store. "It was nice meeting you. I had a great time." She waved goodbye and walked out.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"We could always take the chance that she's a Negaverse agent. Would you rather wait and find out the hard way?"

"…No," Serena admitted.

After spending a good part of her day with Amy, Serena had reported back to Luna that all seemed well. Luna wasn't convinced. The energy patterns she had detected from the girl hadn't come from nothing. Judging from the evidence, she was either a talented liar or a sleeper agent.

Luna managed to locate Amy at her computer school. It was then a simple matter to tail her back to her place of residence: a condo in a rich section of the city. Luna passed along the information to Jason, who began making preparations. Over the next few days, Jason had scoped out the building and the movements of its tenants. Ordinarily, he could have been in and out of the condo in a few minutes, but Serena's presence complicated things. Conditions had to be just right to minimize the chances that something would go horribly wrong.

Now, Jason and Serena were approaching the building. Serena had used her Disguise Pen to make herself appear as plain a citizen of the city as possible. She seemed a bit unsure, but excited to be on the mission. Jason just hoped she could avoid falling over something and attracting attention.

Jason spoke into his phone. "What's her status?"

"Unchanged," Luna responded. The cat had summoned a communication collar for herself earlier that day. While Jason and Serena carried out their investigation, Luna kept a watchful eye on Amy, giving Jason reports on her position. "She hasn't come out of the school."

"Good. Call me if anything changes." Jason hung up. "This is it."

Serena whistled. "Nice place."

The building in front of them was a tall, clean high-rise built to house the upper class of the city. Jason led the way through the glass doors into a breezy, luxurious welcome area. Serena seemed to be getting nervous, apparently feeling out of place, so Jason quietly told her to walk with purpose. No one would question someone who looked like she knew where she was going.

The elevator ride made Serena momentarily forget her worries. She excitedly gazed out through the glass at the panoramic view of the city. Jason wished that she would control herself, considering that a person who lived in the building saw the view every day and would not be impressed. But there was no one else in the elevator, so he said nothing.

He made them get off three floors above their destination. From there they climbed down the stairwell to the required floor. Jason had learned many things over the years, and one of them was that it didn't pay to take unnecessary risks.

Jason strode down the hallway, exuding an air of confidence. As he approached the door, he smoothly pulled out the key. Yesterday he had located the tenants' spare key, copied it using a wax imprint, and had spent the entire night machining a duplicate. After casually ensuring that no one was in the hall, he inserted the key, stepped inside, and closed the door behind Serena.

"How do you know someone won't catch us in here?" Serena asked.

"Keep your voice down," Jason told her. "The mother is an overworked doctor, the father never visits, and we have eyes on the daughter. We have time." He pulled on a pair of latex gloves from his pockets and handed a pair to Serena. "Look for anything suspicious, but be extremely careful about what you touch. Put everything back the way you found it once you've finished, and don't make excess noise." Serena saluted enthusiastically and pulled on the gloves.

Silence descended upon the condo as they searched. Serena still felt slightly guilty about going through someone's personal belongings, but the knowledge that it was for a good cause helped put her mind at ease. As she worked, however, she realized something: this was the first time she and Jason had been alone together. Who exactly was he? She had been informed that he had once worked for the Moon Kingdom, but aside from a few evasive answers from Luna, she knew almost nothing about him.

"So, what's your deal with the Moon Kingdom?" she asked while they worked.

Jason didn't look up. "What did I tell you about excess noise?"

"I'm being quiet."

Jason was silent for a minute. "I served on their military for a number of years."

"Really? Were you like a war hero or something?"

If he had been someone else, he might have laughed. As it was, he simply said, "It depends on who you ask."

Serena thought for a minute as she checked inside a drawer. "Do you have any powers?"

Jason was silent for a long moment. "No."

"How come?"

"Let's just say not all of us were as gifted as the Sailor Scouts."

"Us?"

"Justice Champions."

"Oh." Serena looked through a pile of papers. "Who are the Justice Champions? I've never heard Luna mention them."

"The Justice Champions were a loose coalition of warriors from across the Moon Kingdom. They weren't an official group, but they would come together in times of need to defend the innocent from threats. Out of all the Champions, the formal team known as the Sailor Scouts was the most prominent and revered."

"Cool! Did you know the Sailor Scouts back in the day?"

"I never had the pleasure. I saw them in a history book once, but their faces have long since faded from my memory." After searching a desk, Jason sat down and began pursuing the files on the condo's computer.

Sensing she wouldn't get anything else from Jason, Serena decided to check out the bedrooms. She stepped around a cardboard box containing items still unpacked from the move. First she checked the mother's bedroom.

The mother was apparently very well off, possessing a large amount of jewelry and precious stones. Serena carefully looked through the dresser, losing count of all the valuables she found. Could the Negaverse be that interested in material wealth? Aside from that, she found nothing.

Next she looked through Amy's room. The chamber was plain, practical, and well-organized. On the dresser was a picture of Amy and two adults that Serena assumed were her parents. The drawers contained nothing but clothes and school supplies. The shelves were stocked with exactly the kind of heavy reading material that Serena avoided at all costs.

"Huh?" Something caught Serena's eye. She bent down and reached for something sticking out from under the desk. It appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary flashdrive.

Serena headed back to Jason. "Find anything?"

Jason didn't take his eyes from the screen as he typed so fast his fingers were a blur. "Everything from their financial records to their academic history is accounted for. If this is a deception, it's one of the most perfect I've ever seen."

"Check this out." Serena tossed him the flashdrive.

Jason plugged it into the computer. He brought up the necessary information. "This looks like normal schoolwork." He clicked on something else. "Wait… there's something else here…" He entered a few commands. The screen suddenly displayed a seemingly endless cascade of computer code.

"What is it?" Serena asked, leaning over his shoulder.

Jason dug deeper. "This looks like the source code for a highly advanced guidance program."

"What's it guiding?"

Jason's eyes blazed along the lines of code. "Some sort of powerful supercomputer. But why would the guidance program be separated from the computer itself?" He typed for a half a minute. "Oh no…"

"What? Say it! Spit it out!"

"This program isn't meant to guide a computer. It's meant to guide the human brain."

Serena felt a chill run down her spine. "Guide it to do what?"

"To process information. Amy is a Negaverse agent, and she's using humans as a means of processing vast amounts of information for the Negaverse's plan to conquer the universe."


	5. Activation

"Luna, what's your status?" Jason strode out of the condo, Serena on his heels.

"Still unchanged," Luna responded. "She hasn't exited the building. What's happened?" Stepping into the elevator, Jason quickly relayed everything they had discovered. "I knew it!"

"We're on our way." Jason hung up. "You can take that off now."

Serena used the Disguise Pen to revert to her normal appearance. "I can't believe Amy's working for the Negaverse!"

"Believe it. They've done worse in the past."

The elevator deposited them at the ground floor. Jason led the way out the front doors. Once he reached the sidewalk, he turned and broke into a run. Serena raced to catch up with him.

"I need to get to my base and suit up. Once I do, I'll meet you at the school."

"Why don't you just transform like me?" Serena panted, struggling to keep up with him.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't need an armory."

Serena was about to ask him what he meant when a familiar voice cut through the air. "Late for something, Meatball-Head?"

Serena stopped dead in her tracks. Her mission forgotten, she spun around to face the speaker.

Darien sat at a table outside a small coffee shop. In his hand was a steaming cup of the city's finest brew. On his face was a clam expression of amusement.

"Screw you, Darien!"

"What's wrong? Can't handle your boyfriend hearing your nickname?"

Serena let out a growl of frustration. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"My mistake," Darien said, calmly sipping his coffee. "For a second I thought you'd actually found a guy who would tolerate you."

The two continued to trade shots. Jason would have left Serena behind and headed for his base, but something made him pause. He looked closer.

The voice and facial structure matched perfectly. The height and build appeared identical. The mannerisms were different, but they could be part of the disguise.

"Come on, Jason. Let's get out of here." Serena's voice interrupted his thoughts. She stuck her tongue out at Darien and walked away.

Around the corner, Jason broke into a run again with Serena matching his pace, although not easily. "He's Tuxedo Mask."

"Huh?"

"Everything about him is identical to Tuxedo Mask. His voice, face, and body structure match flawlessly."

"Darien? No way!"

They reached an intersection. "Get to the school. I'll meet you there," Jason instructed. "I'll meet you there." He turned and dashed away, running faster than he had with Serena.

Serena leaned against a wall, panting heavily. It hadn't been easy, but she'd finally made it to the back door of the school.

"Serena!" Luna bounded out of the bushes. "Thank goodness you're here! I've checked out the building and they've got rooms and rooms of people plugged into computers!"

"Well, I can't go in there looking like this." Still breathing hard, Serena looked around for a spot to transform. She stepped behind some shrubbery. After making sure there were no cameras around, she drew in a breath and uttered the incantation. "MOON PRISM POWER!"

Instantly her TAG took over. Serena felt a millisecond stretch into eternity. Energy blasted through her system as the TAG flawlessly rearranged her physiology into Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice. Then it was over.

She heard a noise as she stepped out from behind the shrubbery. Jason was pulling up on his motorcycle, looking a bit fatter than usual. He climbed off and strode over to Serena. "Give me a sitrep."

"Huh?"

"Situation report," Luna told her. She quickly told Jason what was going on. As she spoke, Jason produced a knife and began cutting away his clothes. Underneath was his armor, fully repaired and ready for action. Lastly he retrieved his weapons from his motorcycle and pulled on his mask.

"I'll take point." Jason stepped through the door, staff at the ready. Serena took off her tiara and powered it up, following him.

The hallway was spacious, clean, and empty. Jason advanced cautiously, his eyes analyzing every square millimeter of every surface. He noticed a curious lack of surveillance in the hallway. Figures. The people who could afford to go here probably didn't like being watched like animals.

Serena peered in one of the classrooms. Row after row of students sat at computers, staring blankly at the screens. On their wrists were metal devices interfacing connecting them to the machines. And in one of the rows…

"Jason!" Serena whispered urgently. Instantly Jason appeared at her side. "Look!" She pointed. At one of the terminals sat Amy. "She's not an agent, she's a victim!"

Jason wrenched open the door and stormed through. Luna slipped into the room beside him. Serena ran over and pulled the interface from Amy's wrist, causing the girl to collapse.

An alarm started blaring. "ALERT! ALERT! MANUAL DISCONNECT DETECTED!" Jason jammed the door with his staff, readying his shurikens and grapple gauntlets.

"I don't understand!" Luna yelled above the noise. "If she's not one of the Negaverse, then what am I detecting?" Shouting could be heard outside the door. A blunt object shattered the window. Jason threw a shuriken through, causing an explosion.

The interface began crackling with energy. Before Serena could stop it, it flew to Amy's wrist, attempting to reattach itself. Amy screamed, jolted from her unconscious state. As she screamed, a crescent symbol appeared on her forehead, emanating a white light.

"Of course!" Luna exclaimed. "I can't believe I didn't see it before! She's Sailor Mercury!" Stepping back, Luna gathered her willpower. From her crescent symbol shot a beam of energy, coalescing on the desk. The object was a small pen. "Press it into her palm!" she instructed a stunned Serena. "Amy!" Luna shouted into the semiconscious girl's ear. "Say the phrase 'Mercury Power!'"

"Wha…?" Amy said tiredly.

"Just do it!"

"Merc… Mercury Power!"

Instantly the new TAG roared to life, reconfiguring Amy's body at unfathomable speed. In a millisecond it was over, and before them stood the mighty Sailor Mercury."

"What? What is this?" Amy asked in shock, looking at her Combat Mode.

"There's no time!" Luna barked. "We've got to save these people by destroying the central node!"

"Did that cat just talk?"

"Come on!" Serena grabbed her arm and dragged her to Jason.

Jason gave them orders. Serena and Amy took up positions in front of the door. With one smooth move, Jason removed his staff from the door. The door flew open, revealing a horde of Negaverse drone disguised as teachers. Jason threw a smoke pellet to the floor.

"!"

Serena's scream blasted them back. Jason charged out the door, staff blazing.

They raced through the hallways, ignoring the alarm. Serena threw her tiara ahead of them, disintegrating a drone. Jason impaled two more with the barbs of his gauntlets.

"Amy! Use your ice beam!" Luna ordered as they ran.

"Like this?" Amy extended her hand and concentrated. A blast of ice shot through her arm and out her palm, freezing a drone. Jason shattered it with a strike from his staff. Encouraged, Amy rushed ahead, blasting drones with her new powers. Serena's sonic screams shattered them before they hit the floor.

The team raced through the school, weapons blazing. Grabbing an evacuation chart from the wall, Jason guided them through the corridors toward the most probable location of the central node. He crashed through a set of double doors, throwing a pair of shurikens that exploded in dense orange flame.

One of the drones tackled Serena, knocking her into an empty room. The thing roared as it clawed at her. Serena frantically held up her arms in a futile attempt to save herself.

_ZHING!_

A razor-sharp rose slashed through the drone's throat, loosening its grip for a split second. Serena managed to shove it off. Twisting up in a crouch, she pulled off her tiara and disintegrated the monster with one swing. Then she turned to face the hero who had thrown the rose.

Tuxedo Mask stood in front of the open window, casually leaning on a desk. Smoothly he stepped forward and helped Serena to her feet. "Let's save these students."

"Lead the way," Serena breathed dreamily, her heart racing. Tuxedo Mask dashed back into the hallway, extending his cane. Serena scooped up her tiara and followed him.

More drones poured out of the doors. Amy forced them back with a flurry of blows from her new ice whip. Jason was a blur, his staff blazing so fast it was all but invisible. He threw another smoke pellet, disappearing inside the black cloud.

"Mercury!" he shouted. From inside the cloud he pulled the fire alarm. Another alarm started blaring. Sprinklers began pouring water from the ceiling. Mercury understood immediately. Summoning her power, she unleashed a blast of cold, freezing the drones ahead of them.

"Sailor Moon, scream!"

"!"

The horde of frozen drones shattered, clearing the path ahead.

The team raced through the corridor. Jason directed them to a stairwell leading to the school basement. Vaulting over the side of the stairs, he expertly used his parkour skills to trace his way into the basement. Mercury jumped over the railing as well, using her powers to generate an ice slide under her feet, carrying her to the lower level.

The basement was surprisingly spacious. The school supplies had been cleared out, making room for a gigantic central computer node. Cables streamed into it from all over the school. At its console sat a man.

"JADEITE!" Sailor Moon challenged. She raised her tiara. Jason pulled out a pair of shurikens. Tuxedo Mask readied a rose. Mercury charged up her ice beam.

"Took you long enough to get here," Jadeite said smugly. "Just as well. Thanks to your slowness I was able to accelerate the procedure and finish processing the data I need ahead of schedule. Some of the humans died from brain hemorrhaging, but I believe they call that 'acceptable losses'."

Sailor Moon threw her tiara. Mercury fired her ice beam. Tuxedo Mask unleashed a swarm of roses. Jason threw his shurikens and fired a grapple gauntlet.

Jadeite smiled and effortlessly disappeared before the projectiles could reach him. With one last echoing laugh, he was gone.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Sailor Moon kicked over a trashcan.

"Calm yourself, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask advised sagely. "Had we not intervened when we did, I suspect all of the students would have suffered irreversible psychological damage. We saved hundreds of lives today."

Jason studied the machine. "Sailor Moon, strike that component with your tiara." He pointed to a machine part at the center of the structure. "The weapons disintegration damage should be carried throughout the system, taking with it every piece of Negaverse technology in contact with it."

Composing herself, Serena removed her tiara and struck the component. As they watched, the machine and all of the cables disintegrated into harmless dust. Throughout the building, the wrist interfaces and processing nodes crumbled into nothing, leaving only their victims.

Tuxedo Mask surveyed her work. "You fought well today, Sailor Moon," he said. "As did you." He turned to Sailor Mercury. "It was in honor to face battle alongside both of you. And now we must leave this place before someone notices us." Taking his own advice, he leapt up the stairs and out the door.

Amy looked around the basement. "Would someone please tell me what's going on?"

Serena looked at Jason. She put her arm around Amy. "Come on. We've got a few things to talk about.

Five hours later, Serena and Luna sat with Amy in Amy's condo. They had finished explaining everything to Amy, from the Moon Kingdom, to the Negaverse to the nature of the Sailor Scouts. Sitting in the clean, luxurious room while talking about it made it all seem so impossible.

Amy took the news surprisingly well. When questioned about her acceptance, she merely stated, "I know what I saw. When one eliminates the possible, whatever remains, however impossible, must be the truth."

When she left the room to refill her guests' drinks, Serena glanced at Luna. "What's up?"

Luna appeared to be jolted out of deep thought. "I was just thinking about some things, Serena. The appearance of Sailor Mercury indicates something I've been waiting for for a very long time."

"What's that?"

"The arrival of the full force of the Sailor Scouts."

"You've done well, Jadeite," Queen Beryl observed. "Streaming the information to us while it was being processed prevented the Sailor Scouts and their followers from stopping you from carrying out your mission."

"I learn from my mistakes, Majesty," Jadeite said, feeling pleased with himself.

"Go now and rest, Jadeite. I will have a new mission for you shortly.

"Your Grace, before I go, I was able to siphon energy from the human subjects as I was utilizing their mental power." Jadeite produced a small crystal glowing with energy. He handed it to his liege.

Queen Beryl didn't smile, but her voice shifted slightly, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Your record is improving Jadeite. Perhaps I underestimated your competence."

"Majesty, there is one other matter. Sailor Mercury has been activated. The destination of the Emergency Temporal Shift is upon us."

Beryl's eyes widened slightly. "The same Emergency Temporal Shift that led to 400 years of pain and agony for the Negaverse?"

"Indeed, your grace."

Beryl considered this. "I had hoped that Sailor Moon's arrival was another anomaly. If they are all coming…"

"I will launch a full operation to hunt them down, Your Highness."

"No. Our manpower is still far too limited. Your task is too valuable to abandon. Rest now, and be ready when I next call upon you."

"At once, Majesty." Jadeite bowed and vanished.

Beryl sat alone in her throne room, pondering. If the Sailor Scouts were truly arriving in force, it could jeopardize everything. Worse, they could be trained and instructed by the Mistake. She supposed she should be thankful that the Mistake was powerless, for if he could have accessed his true abilities…

No, she wouldn't think about that. The pressing matter was what to do about the impending Sailor Scouts.

She stood. "ZOISITE!"

Instantly, two figures appeared in her throne room, one male, and one female. "You called, Supreme One?" they said in unison.

"Your normal duties will have to wait. The Sailor Scouts have begun arriving at the destination of the Emergency Temporal Shift. Hunt them down and dispose of them before they attain their power."

"At once, Majesty." The figures vanished.

**The saga continues in Legends of Lightstorm #4: Goddess of War**


End file.
